


O Captain! My Captain!

by pizzabender1 (jorlau)



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: AU, F/M, Fluff, Strangulation, Tentacles, War of the Spark AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-31 09:35:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18588568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jorlau/pseuds/pizzabender1
Summary: My take on Jace giving Vraska her memories back as per Ixalan block foreshadowing. Of course, she does try to kill him first....





	O Captain! My Captain!

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't read War of the Spark for personal reasons, but I've been informed that the mechanism by which Vraska gets her memories back differs substantially from what we were initially led to expect, and this means that there's a perfectly good piece of fluff passed over by canon. So I figured I'd make a crack at what might have been.
> 
> Disclaimer: This story is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.

There he was. Jace Beleren, Living Guildpact, struggling in the magical net that would block his psychic powers. Alone. Helpless.

High above him, where she could see him without being seen, Vraska allowed herself a satisfied smile. She’d done it. She’d planned it all out carefully: an obvious trap, with a subtler trap set on the most logical alternative path, both set up with everyone involved believing theirs was the only one. Beleren had spotted both, as she had known he would, and in dodging them had fallen victim to the true one. She’d outsmarted him this time. Now, she would end him.

She didn’t hurry to let him know of her presence. Let him stew; she had waited this long for her revenge, she could afford a little longer. Their last encounter, he had ruined everything for her, but now she was much more powerful, and she had taken care to disarm him. This time, he would die, and with no Living Guildpact, there would be no limit to how her power might grow. No offworlder with bad fashion sense could keep Vraska down. Not any more. She abandoned her perch and sauntered nonchalantly towards him.

“Comfortable, Guildpact?”

“Vraska!” For a moment, Beleren looked and sounded… happy? Vraska paused, scanning the room for any sign that he’d brought help. There was no reason for him to be happy to see her unless he had some trick up his sleeve, surely. She didn’t see anything, but she kept her guard up as she approached him.

“What are you so cheerful about?” Vraska demanded, studying his face carefully. He kept his eyes down, and his expression was now wooden. He was clearly thinking quickly.

“I was hoping we could discuss terms,” he said, all caution. “I thought it would be harder than this to get a private audience.”

“I’m not here to negotiate,” Vraska sneered. “I’m here to kill you. Did you really think I would forget?”

Beleren shrugged. “People forget bigger things than that. Believe me.”

“I know that. That’s why I arranged for your powers to be blocked.”

“Please, listen to me,” Beleren urged. “I have an offer for you.”

“You’re not in a position to offer me much,” Vraska pointed out. “Even if I trusted you, which I don’t.”

“I put myself into this position, didn’t I?” Beleren was still carefully looking down, but his voice was confident. “I came here to say I’m prepared to apologize, and to offer you my loyalty.”

Vraska drew back, confused. “What?”

“Once, you tried to blackmail me into working for you. Now, if you want, I’ll do it. Working together, we could change all of Ravnica – for the better.”

Vraska reeled in shock. This made no sense. Was he claiming he’d walked into her snare – the one she’d intended him to walk into, the one designed to out-plan his planning specifically – on purpose? To surrender to her? For what? He was clearly trying to bluff with no cards in hand, hoping she would let down her guard. She felt fury surge within her. How dare he try to manipulate her?

“You’re a liar,” she snarled, twitching tendrils of hair rising around her, magic flowing to her eyes. He was looking down, but she could see him tense; even in peripheral vision, a gorgon threat display was a terrifying sight. She moved closer, and he closed his eyes. She growled. “Look at me!”

“Not yet,” he said softly. He was visibly trembling. She’d wanted this, but somehow it felt off. She growled again.

“You’re bluffing, Beleren,” she hissed, wrapping a tendril around his neck and lifting him bodily. He gasped as she tightened her grip, restricting his airflow. “I’m not falling for any of your tricks. Not this time. This time, you’re _mine_. Look at me, you coward!”

“Not,” he wheezed, “a coward. Please….”

“Shut up!” Vraska tightened the tendril around his throat. He kicked reflexively, but didn’t connect; his struggles were hampered by the net ensnaring him, and Jace Beleren was no skilled fighter. She squeezed, ready to end this.

“Please,” he choked out. “Captain….”

She froze. A surge of images cascaded through her mind, overwhelming her. She dropped him, staggered backwards. There he was: now with pieces of a disassembled telescope lying neatly in front of him, intently fitting them back together; now holding out a perfectly-brewed cup of tea, just as she liked it; now beaming with pride at her praise for his illusions; now weeping in her arms as he recollected a lifetime of hardships. Her friend.

“...Jace,” she whispered. She was on her hands and knees. She wasn’t sure how she’d gotten there.

“Yes, Captain,” he said hoarsely.

She looked up, and he met her gaze squarely. His expression was warm, eager, hopeful. Disoriented though she still was, she felt a wave of affection sweep over her. She stood, shakily, moved close to him.

“Knew I could count on you,” she told him, claws making short work of his bonds.

He beamed. “Thank you for your trust, Captain.”

“Did you really get caught on purpose?” Vraska demanded.

“I needed you alone,” Jace explained. “And I needed it to be clear which the real memories were. Without my magic, I could still trigger the spell, but I couldn’t have actually cast a new one. Your trap was perfect.”

Vraska laughed, and hugged him quickly. Touching anyone still felt strange, but Jace had earned that hug. “I’m glad it suited _one_ of our schemes.”

“I would have thought of something, but it helped.”

“You could have called me Captain sooner, though,” Vraska pointed out.

“Sorry,” Jace looked down. “I wanted to make sure you were alone, first, and then… I was kind of enjoying it.” It was hard to tell in the dim light of the Undercity, but she thought he was blushing.

“So was I, honestly.” Vraska grinned. “I’ll still take that loyalty pledge, if you’re offering.”

“Later,” Jace promised. “Right now, we have some planning to do.”


End file.
